The Alembic is a small, dark craft cocktail bar near the Golden Gate Park end of Haight Street, a notch more grown-up than most of what surrounds it. It made its name early in San Francisco's cocktail revival with carefully made drinks, a deep whiskey list, and a kitchen turning out ambitious bar food — pickled quail eggs, duck hearts, and the like alongside more familiar plates.
The room is narrow and gets busy, with reclaimed wood, tin ceilings, and a convivial hum. Come for a properly made Manhattan or to work through the brown-spirits list, and eat if you are hungry — the food has long punched above its bar-snack billing. It is a good place to end an afternoon of browsing the Haight on a more civilised note.